Overview

The phasing out of nuclear power plants and the expansion of solar and wind energy mean that electricity production is becoming more volatile. New storage systems are needed to ensure that electricity is available as and when it is required. A promising technology for this purpose is advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage (AA-CAES). It uses excess electricity from solar and wind energy systems to compress ambient air and store it in an underground cavity. The pilot AA-CAES plant in Switzerland will be discussed in the first part of this webinar. 

An overview of the electricity grid needs during energy transition will be discussed in the second part of the webinar. This will include an overview of grid challenges, such as balancing the intermittency of renewable generation, supporting periods of low demand and high renewable output, and providing grid stability (e.g. inertia) and black start capabilities. The technologies surveyed are interconnectors, batteries, demand side response and various types of large-scale long-duration storage. The speaker will then outline Storelectric's world-leading Compressed Air Energy Storage technologies.

Presenters

Dr Giw Zanganeh, Co-founder of ALACAES SA

Giw is a co-founder of innovative technology provider company for thermal and electrical energy storage systems. Under his supervision, ALACAES successfully built and tested the world-wide first advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage (AA-CAES) pilot plant in Loderio, Switzerland, that eliminates any greenhouse gas emissions and achieves an efficiency of over 75% thanks to the incorporated proprietary thermal energy storage technology. Giw obtained his BSc, MSc, and PhD in mechanical engineering from ETH Zurich. His ideas and patents lead to several cross-institutional R&D projects and academic-industrial partnerships worth over €3m.

Mark Howitt, CTO and founding director of Storelectric

Mark leads Storelectric’s technical and operations, minimising technological risk, maximising efficiency and environmental friendliness, and speed to market. He focuses on technologically simple solutions using proven technologies wherever possible. His degree was in Physics with Electronics. He has 12 years’ management and innovation consultancy experience worldwide. In a rail multinational, Mark developed 3 profitable and successful businesses: in commercialising a non-destructive technology he had innovated, in logistics and in equipment overhaul. In electronics manufacturing, he developed and introduced to the markets 5 product ranges and helped 2 businesses grow strategically.

Time

09:00—10:00 BST.

Flyer

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Format

A one-hour online session: 40 minutes' presentation + 20 minutes' Q&A.
Duration (for CPD recording purposes): up to one hour.

If you are recording mandatory CPD you should refer to your own regulator's requirements as recognition of CPD hours may vary.

Software

The presentation will be delivered via GoToWebinar®. 
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You are advised to join the webinar at least ten minutes before the scheduled start time, to allow for your computer to connect.

Webinar archive

This webinar is free of charge and open to all to attend, but if you wish to access the slides and a recording to replay on demand then you'll need to be a member of the Clean Energy Special Interest Group.

If you're interested in giving an online presentation to our international community of chemical engineers, we'd like to hear from you. Please email special interest groups support team with information on yourself and your proposed talk.